First Year Moments
by Tamsan
Summary: A short story about two first years meeting aboard the Hogwarts Express and how their friendship creates a chain reaction. Submitted as part of the Tremough Harry Potter Society "First Year Moments" Fan Art competition. First Place.


**Aboard the Hogwarts Express**

"Do you mind if I sit here?" Merry Fairfield looked up into the face of the tall boy who had entered the carriage she had hidden herself away in. He had thick curly black hair that touched the collar of his black robes and swept over his dark eyes. The boy had an easy smile that gave him a roguish hue as if he were the son of a pirate.

"Yes. I mean no, of course not. I mean yes, please join me." Her faltering speech seemed to make his smile grow wider. He moved further into the carriage dragging a large cage behind him. Moving to the bench across from her he tucked himself up beside the window.

"I'm Merry." She said timidly before he had a chance to ask.

"Are you sure? You looked sad a moment ago." He laughed at his own joke and she felt the corners of her mouth lift to join him. "I'm Kasbian Nott, but everyone calls me Kaz." He looked worried for a moment as he introduced himself, but when she merely held out her hand for him to shake he smiled broadly again.

"Are you muggleborn as well?" Merry asked softly. She had been visited at the Children's

Home she lived in by a Professor Hadleigh who had explained all about witches and wizards, and Hogwarts. It had all been quite overwhelming and Merry had locked herself away in her room for a couple days to think. She liked thinking. It was calming and something she could do on her own and in her own way.

"No," Kaz replied quietly. "My whole family have been magical for generations. I'm not sure we've even ever had a squib in the family - a non-magical person born of a magical family."

He explained when he saw her look of confusion. "Almost a mudblood." He blanched and looked at her in distress before pulling the cage onto his lap and lifting the lid so that she couldn't see his face.

She heard the sound of movement from within the covered cage and waited patiently for him to emerge. When he didn't she gazed instead at the countryside that whipped by the window.

They remained in silence for a considerable length of time. Merry couldn't figure out what had brought on such a change in Kasbian. A lady with a cart of treats went by, but neither of them bought anything.

An hour had gone by when she decided that she had had enough. "What's a mudblood?"

Kasbian poked his head out from behind the covered cage and looked at her in resignation. "It's a horrible word used to describe muggleborns. I shouldn't have said it."

"Oh." They continued on in silence for a while longer. Neither one looking at the other as they went about their business. Merry pulled out a book and tried to read, but the words blurred and moved about the page so she put it away again.

Taking a deep breath Merry declared. "I've said stuff I regret before. I once called one of my Foster Carers a cow. She really was one, but shouldn't have said it."

"What's a foster carer?" Kaz asked putting aside the cage and pulling out a silver tabby cat from within. The cat stretched and settled on his lap purring in contentment.

Merry blushed. She hadn't meant to mention foster carers and children's homes. This was supposed to be her chance to be a normal kid at school. Not the special one who didn't have parents or who needed extra support.

"Umm, well. It's someone who isn't your parent who looks after you. Like a guardian, but paid by the government." This seemed to intrigue the boy for he leaned forward disturbing the cat who jumped out of his lap and came to settle beside Merry. Bumping her with his nose in an effort to get her attention.

Merry discovered that Kaz was an orphan like her. His parents had died in a war when he was a baby. He admitted to her that maybe it was for the best for his parents hadn't been nice people. They had fought on the side of an evil man whose name he wouldn't utter.

"My parents were bad people as well." She admitted before she could stop herself. "They were killed whilst robbing a bank. They'd killed two security guards. I didn't have any other family so was placed in the foster system. I live in a children's home now." She thought her confession would lead to silence again, but instead the two of them tentatively started to talk about their families. Then Hogwarts, and what they were looking forward to, and finally muggle things. Kaz had never experienced anything muggle before.

**At the Sorting Ceremony**

"Merry Fairfield" called out Professor Hadleigh who stood at the top of the Great Hall before the rows of seated students and line of first years waiting to be sorted. She was small and round, with a commanding presence. Her robes were mauve and gold with small silver stars strewn across the hem.

She glanced across the hall and motioned for Merry to hurry up. Merry could feel the eyes of the entire hall on her as she moved quickly forward. She stumbled into the stool and heard a faint titter of laughter glide across the hall as she righted herself and turned to sit upon it. In the line of first years she saw Kaz grinning up at her with two thumbs up.

Professor Hadleigh placed the hat upon her head and silence fell. She heard the hat talking, but was shaking so much she didn't really follow what it was saying."Hufflepuff!" it cried out.

On a deep breath she jumped down from the stool and half ran, half tripped her way to the Hufflepuff table. She was greeted enthusiastically by her fellow housemates who clapped her on the back and shook her hand. She watched with more interest the closer it got to being Kasbian's turn to be sorted.

"Kasbian Nott."

On the call of his name a soft hiss went through the hall. She saw him tilt his head just slightly so that his hair covered most of his face. He looked nervous, but approached the stool with his shoulders back. He had barely had the hat on his head for a second before it shouted out

"Slytherin!"

A cheer rang out from the Slytherin table, but most of the hall clapped perfunctorily and some students at the Gryffindor table crossed their arms and looked at Kasbian with suspicion.

Merry cheered the loudest and clapped enthusiastically even though her fellow Hufflepuffs looked at her strangely. This earned another of what she was beginning to think were trademark grins from Kasbian.

Once the last first year had been sorted Zychova, Katie into Ravenclaw the tables filled with food and they began to feast. There was truly more food than Merry had ever seen before.

"What were you doing cheering for that Slytherin boy? Don't you know who his family is?"

Came the tart voice of a Hufflepuff third year who had moved down the table to sit across from her.

"He's my friend. Why wouldn't I cheer for him?" She asked confused at the question.

"His name is Knott though. His family were Death Eaters and responsible for the deaths of many witches and wizards. You'd do well not to associate with his kind if you want to succeed in this school."

Merry gave the boy a measured look before wiping at her mouth with her napkin, placing it on the table and rising. "I didn't know friendships were policed in the Wizarding world." He went to interrupt her, but she was ready. "I will be friends with whomever I choose and I choose to be friends with Kasbian Knott." With that she went to turn around and find somewhere else to sit, but instead bumped into Kaz himself.

"We're going to be great friends you and me." he declared. "Best friends!" and with that he plonked himself down at the Hufflepuff table pulling her down with him.

They spoke animatedly together ignoring the questioning looks from the rest of her fellow Hufflepuffs until eventually they also began to speak with Kaz. Word spread like wildfire through the hall that a Slytherin was sat at the hufflepuff table and soon students from other houses began to move around as well.

A group of seventh year Slytherins went and sat with the first year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws could be seen moving around talking to whomever they came across. The hall was alive with laughter.

Kasbian turned around to survey it all and leaned back against the table. "I think our first year is going to be a lot of fun." he whispered to her.

Merry agreed.


End file.
